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SGPC seeks permission to study books in Pakistan

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhik Committee has sought the permission from the Pakistan government to allow Indian scholars to study books and manuscripts in Punjabi and Hindi that have been gathering dust since Partition in three libraries of Lahore.

In a letter addressed to Qayum Nizami, Pakistan's federal minister of state for minorities' affairs, SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra said books and manuscripts could throw light on important historical and religious facts.

According to information gathered by the SGPC jathas, which toured Pakistan from time to time, these books and manuscripts were lying in the central public library, the Dayal Singh college library and the Punjab University library.

The letter, which was sent through post this week also pointed out that some of these manuscripts were in the Gurmukhi and Devnagiri scripts and currently there were very few scholars in Pakistan familiar with these two languages.

Tohra pointed out that recently an ancient manuscript of the janam sakhi (biography) of Guru Nanak was discovered in Lahore. The Pakistan government had stated that this was one of the oldest available janam sakhis but had locked it up instead of inviting Sikh scholars from India to study it, the letter added.

The letter urged the minister to allow the SGPC to study all available ancient literature and to prepare a catalogue. The manuscripts could be photo-copied or micro-filmed and brought to India by the SGPC, the letter said.

Tohra has also appealed to the Pakistan government to make a public appeal for the collection of ancient manuscripts and relics of the Sikh gurus that are in the possession of some families across the border.

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